The Sconi

Americans are more concerned about crime now than at any other time during the 21st century.

This news comes as crime is on the rise in Wisconsin and across the nation and the Defund the Police movement is prevalent.

The topic is important for voters on all sides of the political spectrum, and it seems that "crime is a potent issue in municipal elections," CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten said in an analysis article.

"Crime is one of the few issues where public opinion has tilted toward the conservative position in the country as a whole," Enten said. "Registered voters, by a 16 point margin (50% to 34%), said they trusted the Republican Party more on crime than the Democratic Party." 

A Gallup poll from earlier this year found that as a whole, Americans' dissatisfaction with the nation's policies to reduce or control crime is at the highest rate in the 21st century, according to CNN. The poll results revealed that 72% of Americans were dissatisfied with the nation's policies to reduce or control crime. The number is up from 65% in 2021 and 49% in 2020. The poll discovered that "the dissatisfaction crosses partisan lines," as 65% of Democrats indicated they were at least somewhat dissatisfied with the nation's policies on crime and 87% of Republicans expressed dissatisfaction.

A late-April ABC News/Washington Post poll also revealed dissatisfaction about crime from both parties. Crime "was the only non-economic issue polled in which Republicans held an advantage outside the margin of error," CNN reported.                  

While violent crime is up in some areas, Enten made the argument that it is lower-level, nonviolent crimes such as theft that have happened much more frequently, contributing to a common feeling that things have gotten out of control. In some of the nation's largest cities, such as San Fransisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, the crime rate for all categories of theft is up from last year.                 

The successful recall of Chesa Boudin (D), district attorney of San Francisco, proved that "not even in the Democratic bastion of San Francisco is a progressive safe from the wrath of voters worried about crime," Enten said.                    

After serving San Francisco for a little over two years, Boudin was recalled by approximately 60% of voters in the city last Tuesday, according to preliminary results, AP News reported.

Milwaukee has seen the sixth-largest increase in its homicide rate when compared to other major U.S. cities since the pandemic began, according to an April WalletHub report. John Chisholm, Milwaukee’s district attorney, is considered by some to have a soft-on-crime approach. He has been in office for 15 years, working to change the city's approach to incarceration. The Washington Times reported in November 2021 that Chisholm has reportedly used Twitter to cheer on Boudin's work.